HOW DID IT GET SO LATE SO SOON? WHY TIME FLIES AS WE get older

‘‘We have to take home all the stuff we’ve been working on this year,’’ he announced. Then off we set on the walk home.

As we marched along like two pack mules loaded up with school projects and books, I found myself marvelling at how quickly this school year had passed.

In two weeks, primary five will become just a memory.

My stomach churns at the thought of him starting primary six, taking us closer to the end of the primary school years.

And then what? Will my funny, outgoing, little son become a moody, monosyllabic, teenager whose mother is a source of mortal embarrassment to him? No doubt the answer to that is a resounding yes, just like all those other teens (including myself!) who went moodily before him!

It seems like no time at all since I was bundling him into his nursery school uniform, holding back tears at the thought of us being apart for a few hours.

At the ripe old age of nine he is becoming somewhat concerned about the passage of time himself.

His little faced was creased with worry recently when he turned to me and asked;

‘‘What will it be like mum, getting older? I’m starting to feel a bit anxious!’’

‘‘Why on earth would you be worried about ageing, you’re only nine!’’ I exclaimed.

‘‘Yes, I’m nine now, but in two months’ time I’ll be in 10! Ten mum, that’s double figures! I can’t believe it!’ he said with all the disbelief at the swiftness of time of someone looking down the barrels of their 50th birthday, rather than their 10th.

‘‘No matter how old you get; you never really feel older inside your head.

‘‘ It’s just our body that changes as we age, inside we stay forever young!’’ I explained.

This is how I feel about ageing and I know my parents did too.

My mother often expressed feeling no different aged 70 than she did aged 20.

She was in absolute awe at how quickly the years seemed to pass and as I mature, so am I!

The feeling that life seems to be speeding up the older we get is a common sensation.

Yet time passes no quicker whatever age we are, so why do we perceive it to fly by as we age?

Psychologist William James wrote in 1890 (even back then, time flying was nothing new!) that time seems to accelerate in adulthood because as we mature, we experience fewer memorable events.

When we are young we are always looking forward to something.

We measure our time by anticipating our ‘firsts’ our first kiss, our first day at the big school, our first love or car and so on.

Once we have experienced these things then we begin to look back on them.

According to studies, a year filled with few activities and lots of routines, can seem in retrospect, as though it passed quicker because there isn’t much to remember about it. The way we spend our time influences how we see it as going fast or slowly.

If time flies then we are the pilot, we need to fill our days with new experiences to counteract routines.

Though let’s face it, as we get older we are too busy and too tired just keeping everything ticking over to add new things to our itineraries.

I even find myself in awe now that it’s June and half of the year has already passed.

I still feel like the year’s just begun.

It always amazes me too that when my son starts back to school at the end of August how quickly Christmas appears to follow.

The seasons seem to fly by in the blink of an eye compared to when I was younger. It’s like Dr Seuss said;

‘How did it get so late so soon?

It’s night before it’s afternoon.

December is here before it’s June.

My goodness how the time has flewn.